The alleys we followed behind the bazaar were full of wholesalers selling textiles and clothing ...

... small "hole in the wall" places for a take out lunch

we could see rice, chickpeas, and chicken

Lynne (an ex jeweller) was fascinated to find this man breaking up old broken bits. She bought two interesting pieces for 15 TLira

Turkish variety of "Car" seats for children

Down the steep hill in the scarf & textile area

Some incredible old buildings with modern shops beneath

Here you could buy underwear: 4 vests for 4 TL, or a wedding gown, or baby clothes

Or dress your children as Pashas

We loved the Hil FIGER blue jeans

Three billy goats gruff

Lynne was taken by these beautiful bejewelled fabrics which you sew onto an evening dress to turn it into something spectacular and couture. We did not ask the price

The New Mosque and the unpleasant restaurantwhere we had an indifferent lunch.When we checked our map, we were amazed at how far we had walked

The food was ordinary, the service appalling

We asked for chicken doner kebabs; we were served the expensive 'undone' versionThe chicken and the chips were dried out and tasteless. We called for yoghurt and chilli to add some moisture and flavour and made up our ownThey sneakily added (and took) service to the bill, which we did not want to pay. If only we'd had the right change...

The Istanbul Commodity Exchange in a very old building

We found the dock side with a view of the ferries and the bridge over the BosporusWe were on a ferry very similar to the one on the left

The Galata Tower from our afternoon Bosporus ferry tripBeware of ticket touts who charge 50 TL pp to go on a small, rickety ferryThe official ferry cost just 12TL pp for a 2½ hr trip

The Bosporus is extremely busy with ferries, barges and huge ships

Boarding the ferry

Lots of international tourists on board

Old and modern are mixed in Istanbul

The ferry made one stop at the Bosporus Bridge which is right in front of a mosque

We thought this huge ship was going to collide with us but she turned amazingly quickly

The Maidens' Tower

Touring can be tiring

We went quite a long way up the Bosporus and saw the smaller expensive ferries alongside us

We next took the trolley up the hill to the Blue Mosque

Magnificent minarets

Waitingin the central courtyard till prayers are over at 5.30

The main Dome

The blue stained glass windows and the huge 'elephants feet' support pillars

A detail shot of some of the beautiful blue tiles

More details. This was built in

It is very dark inside the mosque at 5.30, but John's camera does capture the blue lightThese two young Turkish lasses asked him to take their photograph with their phone

The magnificent stained glass windows

and Lynne being respectful

Hagia Sophia, built asa church by Justinian in 532-537, it was the most important church in Christianity for 1000 years, then became a mosque, now is a museum. It closed as we got there; we had to return next day

A hooded crowThey are everywhere, like starlings at home

Local stray dogs are tagged and left to fend for themselves, as are the many stray catsIt broke our hearts, some of these are pedigree dogsThey are fed by the city and the community

Afternoon nap

They are everywhere

Into the Cisterns, built by Emperor Justinian, 527-565 AD

Magnificent domed roof and a selection of different columns to support it, with the water for the city below

The water is full of koi and other fish, coins thrown by visitors, and is very clear

The lighting is superb, but John's camera enhances light; it is actually much darker than this

Justinian reused older statues and columns. This is one of two Medusa heads he used as a column support

Being ambushed into a carpet sellers dungeon, we were not the only customers

The psychology used is clever and persuasive, unless you have experienced it before, as Lynne has. She enjoyed the apple tea and the sit down very much and resisted all temptation

The tram is modern, fast and quiet

Walking from the tram back to our apartment area, lots of street life

We could not resist this local baker selling interesting local savoury and sweet pastries. We bought some meat stuffed borek and the cheesy pasta on the right which we thought was a cheese pie. Neither was great, sadly

Small roadside restaurant seating, not at all tempting. We had a take away chicken at home, quite exhausted from the huge range we coveredHow do they keep the glasses on the tables?

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MENU,our weekly email newsletter, started as an advertising medium for Main Ingredient, our specialist retail grocery business. We opened our Sea Point shop in December 2002 because the limited range of food products available in the supermarkets frustrated us. We realised that there was a place in South Africa for a grocer catering to people who share our tastes and needs. We moved the shop on line in 2010, but have now discontinued it, having decided that it is time to “retire” and concentrate on our writing, photography and tour guiding. MENU has a wide circulation and is read nationally and internationally.

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